President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau walk along the Colonnade outside the Oval Office, Monday, Feb. 13, 2017, at the White House in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

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The Lead

The Canada-U.S. border is expected to remain closed to non-essential travel until June 21 to protect both countries’ citizens from COVID-19.

The Globe and Mail was told by sources familiar with discussions between the countries that U.S. and Canadian officials are working through an agreement to lengthen the border closure for another month. They say Canada asked for a 30-day extension and that its neighbour will almost certainly agree.

Non-essential travel across the border was shut down by both countries’ governments on March 21 for 30 days and has since been formally extended to May 21.

One senior source said the hard debate will come next month when there will likely be different views on when to begin to lift the restrictions.

U.S. President Donald Trump has been pushing U.S. states to return to work and get the economy moving again, while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has indicated that Canada may not be as eager.

In Canada

Small businesses that weren’t eligible for or didn’t receive enough support from the financial relief programs the government’s released so far during the pandemic can now seek more help through the six regional development agencies.

iPolitics’ Jolson Lim has more details that were announced on Wednesday about the almost $1 billion being distributed through the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund, which Economic Development Minsiter Mélanie Joly said will support companies that “fell through the cracks” of earlier support.

On a similar topic, representatives of Canada’s pork farmers are warning the federal government that the sector is facing a “cash crisis” caused by backlogs at meat-packing facilities where processing has been disrupted by COVID-19 outbreaks.

Rick Bergmann, president of the Canadian Pork Council, which represents 7,000 producers in Canada, appealed to the House agriculture committee for more federal help on the council’s behalf on Tuesday.

Pork production, Bergmann said, could play a key role in restarting the economy, but producers are unsure of their future as COVID-19 depletes the revenue streams of many who rely on the just-in-time production model that’s left them shortchanged as incomes have stalled.

New coronavirus clusters have surfaced around the world as nations struggle to balance reopening economies and preventing a second wave of infections, while a top global health official warned Wednesday that COVID-19 could be around for a long time. (Associated Press)

England tentatively began easing its coronavirus lockdown on Wednesday, with some people who cannot do their jobs at home urged to return to work, as stark economic data showed the disastrous impact of the pandemic. (Reuters)

As Indians await details of a huge coronavirus relief package Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced to jump-start the economy, the virus outbreak in the financial capital of Mumbai and elsewhere in Maharashtra state is starting to overwhelm hospitals and slums, complicating any economic recovery plan. (AP)

Officials on Wednesday raised the death toll from a militant attack on a maternity hospital in Kabul to 24, including mothers, nurses and two babies. A day after the shooting rampage, 20 infants were under medical observation, lying swaddled in blankets in hospital cribs. (AP)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has cited “hard evidence” that she was the target of Russian hacking. It comes after Der Spiegel reported last week that Russia’s intelligence service appeared to have gotten hold of emails from Merke’s constituency office in a 2015 hacking operation on Germany’s parliament. (Independent)

Organizations conducting research into COVID-19 may be targeted by computer hackers linked to the Chinese government, according to the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. (AP)

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Israeli leaders to consider “all the factors” involved in a proposed de facto annexation of the occupied West Bank so that it squares with Washington’s plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace. (Reuters)

The Kicker

France’s cheese industry is asking the country’s citizens to consume more cheese, as consumption has decreased by nearly 60 per cent.

According to the National Post, the industry association is warning that more than 5,000 tons of cheese could go to waste if they don’t start eating more – and fast.

Canada is also facing a surplus of cheese, although demand for milk has stayed the same.